AHS Region 2/Great Lakes Newsletter

H

ite of Perfection

By  Nikki Schmith

With contributions by Judy Davisson, Sharon Fitzpatrick, The Oakland Press,  and his daughter, Gloria Hite.

n 1968, Howard Hite registered his first three

him in his wheelchair through the garden each day to see

cultivars.  MACHU PICCHU, SING TOY

the new varieties.  He pointed out and recommended

ALLAH, and ANGELUS BELLS.  Thirty five

crosses for Gloria each day, keeping her on her toes during

I

years and 125 cultivars later, the contributions to the

the morning walks.

daylily community made by Howard and his family is

During the 2001 Southern Michigan Hemerocallis

almost indescribable. Whether it was sharing a  Cherry

Society's exhibition show, where one of his seedlings

Bounce  beverage under the shade trees at his home during

earned the AHS Rosette, Howard was evaluating all of the

the 1985 convention or seeing Howard with the pollen 

seedlings and recommending names for them. Most of

filled stamens in his mouth as he puttered around the

garden, we all have memories of this hybridizer, father,

husband, grandfather of 7 grandchildren, great grandfather

of 13 great grandchildren, entrepreneur, and friend.

Howard died of congestive heart failure on January 21in

Treasure Island, Florida while wintering with his daughter,

Gloria, also a daylily hybridizer.  A week before his

passing, just before his 99

th

 birthday celebration, he submit 

ted what is his last registration, CHRISTINE WALSER

HITE (Hite, H. 2003), named after his mother.

Throughout his life long work with daylilies, Howard had

two goals:  to grow a blue daylily and to live to be 100

years old.

 I'd like to see his dream of a blue daylily turn up one of

these days,  said Gloria Hite.  He was my father, he was

ANGELUS BLUE SKIES

my friend, and he was my rock that was always there. 

Gloria plans to stay involved in her father's work, and to

Howard's introductions are named after exotic geographic

maintain the nearly complete collection of his introductions

locations, for example, INDONESIA, CORSICA, and

she has amassed.

DELHI.  Howard also chose the prefixes ANGELUS and

 Every morning, I go out in the garden and look and see

SYLVAN LAKE for some of his introductions, and he

what is blooming,  Howard Hite said in an August 2002

named many of them after family members.

interview with The Oakland Press. His daughter pushed

AABAA

ANGELUS ANGEL

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 Spring/Summer 2003